question about magnesium laptops

[IAnthonyFX]

I have heard in recent years about laptops with magnesium chasis but can you use it as a fire starer or is it an alloy that does not allow that to happen?  what if battery explotes, would that suppose enough energy to activate the burning of magnesium? just a random question - by scratching the metal, not by destroying the battery- 

[Dash Lambda]

The magnesium alloys used are not a fire hazard. It's not pure magnesium, and that coupled with the fact that the parts generally have a large thermal mass and low surface area, makes it very hard to ignite, and less likely to propagate. The exact properties depend on the alloy, though it's still a far cry from pure magnesium.

 

The advantages, though, are lighter weight and higher rigidity. Magnesium is actually the lightest structural metal we use, and the alloys we use can have equivalent strength to aluminum with thinner panels. It's more brittle, though, so where aluminum would bend and dent magnesium is more prone to crack.

It's also less corrosion-resistant, which is why magnesium is generally painted.

 

It's also more expensive. That's why you don't see a lot of magnesium unibodies, the material costs more and the manufacturing is harder. ThinkPads use magnesium in conjunction with carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (which can actually have very similar structural properties to aluminum, despite being plastic).

[IAnthonyFX]

26 minutes ago, Dash Lambda said:

The magnesium alloys used are not a fire hazard. It's not pure magnesium, and that coupled with the fact that the parts generally have a large thermal mass and low surface area, makes it very hard to ignite, and less likely to propagate. The exact properties depend on the alloy, though it's still a far cry from pure magnesium.

 

The advantages, though, are lighter weight and higher rigidity. Magnesium is actually the lightest structural metal we use, and the alloys we use can have equivalent strength to aluminum with thinner panels. It's more brittle, though, so where aluminum would bend and dent magnesium is more prone to crack.

It's also less corrosion-resistant, which is why magnesium is generally painted.

 

It's also more expensive. That's why you don't see a lot of magnesium unibodies, the material costs more and the manufacturing is harder. ThinkPads use magnesium in conjunction with carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (which can actually have very similar structural properties to aluminum, despite being plastic).

well yes, even in the lab when we have some magnesium ingots-chuncks and those are not easy to ignite. but my question was more in line with the case that if you where to shave off some magnesium out of a thinkpad can you light it up like a fire started would? or do they use a particular allow to further prevent that?

[Pendragon]

3 hours ago, IAnthonyFX said:

where to shave off some magnesium out of a thinkpad can you light it up like a fire started would? or do they use a particular allow to further prevent that?

Yea no. The alloy prevents that. It's a mixed alloy. Unless the manufacturing went completely tits up, you would not be able to scrape off flammable material.